Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Qubes OS

Security-oriented OS for single-user desktop computing

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Qubes OS launched in 2022; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1QC
   Qvm-Create-Windows-Qube: The most secure and private way to run Windows▲120

   2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Zorin OS 12▲139

   Open source Linux-based OS that is fast, powerful and secure

   2017 · its alternatives →

3. 3XA
   xOS – a 32-bit OS for the PC▲115

   2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   GrapheneOS▲116

   Open source mobile OS focused on privacy and security.

   2019 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   The Virtual OS Museum▲197

   Relive vintage operating systems right on your desktop

   Jun 2026 · virtualosmuseum.org · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Umbrel▲195

   A beautiful personal server OS for self-hosting

   2022 · its alternatives →

7. 7EA
   exaequOS - a new OS running in a web browser▲216

   2023 · exaequos.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   KnightOS▲136

   An open-source OS for calculators

   2016 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   XOS▲96

   Grow your business better and faster

   2022 · its alternatives →

10. 10AD
    A DOS-like hobby OS written in Rust and x86 assembly▲207

    To try it out, simply build the project yourself from source, or use attached bootable ISO image of the system (in Releases on Github) and run it in QEMU. https://blog.vxn.dev/rou2exos-rusted-edition

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

11. 11FO
    FrameOS – operating system for single function smart frames▲474

    2024 · frameos.net · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Holos – QEMU/KVM with a compose-style YAML, GPUs and health checks▲56

    I got tired of libvirt XML and Vagrant's Ruby/reload dance for single-host VM stacks, so I built a compose-style runtime directly on QEMU/KVM. What's there: GPU passthrough as a first-class primitive (VFIO, OVMF, per-instance EFI vars), healthchecks that gate depends_on over SSH, socket-multicast L2 between VMs with no root and no bridge config, cloud-init wired through the YAML, Dockerfile support for provisioning. What it's not: Kubernetes. No clustering, no live migration, no control plane. Single host. Prototype, but I'm running it on real hardware. Curious what breaks for…

    Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    CambiOS – a new Rust-based, sovereign identity, zero-trust OS▲8

    Hello HN, What is CambiOS? A microkernel OS built in Rust, that boots in QEMU under x86_64, AArch64, and RISC-V - targeting formal verification. Processes are assigned unforgeable cryptographic identity and IPC gates access to only allowed endpoints. What does it want to be? Ambitious. Cutting away latent security issues, corporate surveillance, centralized identity and data hosting, and OPEN. With the advent of the coding tools, building the things we want is a bit less of a lift. Could it replace Windows? Sure. That's where the idea was born. Secure and intuitive, in a nutshell. I've been…

    Jun 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Fuchsia▲30

    Google's mysterious new open source Operating System

    2016 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Arclight▲72

    An open source server virtualization management solution

    2022 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Programming Web Operating System 0xWebOS▲8

    0xWebOS openOS

    2025 · programwebos.netlify.app · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Archive OS▲70

    Archive of operating systems

    2018 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    TrueOS▲11

    A powerful free and open source software to get the job done

    2016 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Fosshub▲79

    An open source for free and open source tools

    2015 · its alternatives →

20. 20BA
    Bonk, a command-line tool for X11 window management▲72

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

21. 21MM
    My microkernel-based OS built from scratch now has basic Unix commands▲69

    This project contains no code from Linux, BSD, Minix, or any other OS. Everything up until this point is written entirely from scratch, including a pure microkernel (that only implements multiprocessor priority scheduling, memory management, and interprocess communication), a work-in-progress implementation of the standard C library, and a variety of servers that provide drivers and other essential OS functionality. At the time of writing this post, the servers provide drivers for the keyboard, NVMe SSDs (that works on real hardware), a Unix-like virtual file system (with a single root…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

22. 22IV
    I vibecoded an ARM64 operating system that boots on real hardware▲24

    VibeOS is a retro operating system that boots on qemu and Pi Zero 2W. I built this with Claude code in about 4 weeks.

    Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Elementary OS▲12

    The privacy focused replacement to Windows and Mac OS

    2018 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Qebot WebOS▲9

    Move beyond the browser - The operating system for the web!

    2023 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →